Constructed in 1909 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Mancos High School \u2013 along with other schools, the public library and the town hall \u2013 will soon be installed with high-speed broadband Internet connections. The project, slated for completion in August, is part of a larger statewide initiative to create a 4,600-mile fiber optics network.<\/p>\n
\u201cConnecting rural parts of the state to the rest of the world is a great economic tool,\u201d said Mancos Town Administrator Angela Phillips. \u201cThis is a positive step for Mancos.\u201d<\/p>\n
The current bandwidth available to the Mancos School District is limited, and online classes and school labs both struggle when operating at the same time, said superintendent Brian Hanson.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe still have folks in town on dial-up,\u201d said Hanson.<\/p>\n
In a small school district with limited resources, today\u2019s teachers need access to information in order for students to be competitive in the global marketplace, Hanson added.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis new service will give our students opportunities that we just can\u2019t offer,\u201d Hanson said. \u201cWe\u2019re excited.\u201d<\/p>\n
The increased bandwidth could also affect all Mancos residents. Hanson said he\u2019s hopeful the new infrastructure would attract competing Internet service providers to help lower overall Internet costs.<\/p>\n
The entire $100 million regional project is a partnership between EAGLE-Net Alliance and the Southwest Colorado Council of Governments. Funding is provided by the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program and matching funds and services from private and public entities throughout Colorado.<\/p>\n
In a press release, EAGLE-Net CEO Randy Zila said communities across the state need high-speed broadband service in order to be competitive with neighboring states and the nation.<\/p>\n
\u201cBy the time we complete this project, we will have built a broadband infrastructure that can serve more than 170 communities across Colorado,\u201d Zila said.<\/p>\n